"I'd hoped to."
"Unwise," Agzaral said. "Most unwise. You would do far better to trust me."
"Trust you? How the hell can I trust you when I don't even know what side you're on?"
Agzaral spread his hands wide and let them drop to his lap. "Side? You would seriously have me choose a faction? Now, when the alternatives are still forming? Try not to be too great an ass, my friend.
"And don't protest. When it comes to politics, you are an ass. I can admire your courage. Your skill with languages. Your prowess as a pilot, and- Yes. I envy your successes with women. You even seem to understand some of Earth's political quarrels. But when it comes to the important skills, the ability to know the High Commission and the Council-" He shrugged. "You're an ass."
"At least I take a stand. I'm not a damned trimmer like you-"
Agzaral laughed. "Some day one of your stands will be against a wall. As to being a trimmer, is it unwise to have every faction think I am its agent?"
"When they find out-"
"If," Agzaral said. "And think upon it, my fellow slave. If you do not know which faction I truly favor, then they cannot know either." He chuckled again. "So. You have taken a stand. Tell me where."
"Well-"
"Come, come, a simple question. Which faction do you favor? Who is its leader? Which race champions your position?"
"All right, so I don't know," Les said. "But I know this. I'm for leaving Earth alone. And Tran, too. Leave them develop by themselves."
Agzaral nodded. "The position taken by many of the more powerful Ader'at'eel. Unfortunately not all of them. They are joined by the Enlightenment Party of the Finsit'tuvii. But I fear that coalition is not the most powerful faction."
"Is that true?" Les demanded. "The Ader'at'eel want Earth and Tran left alone?"
"Substantially. Of course they don't know that Tran exists. But four of the Five Families do indeed support that position."
"Then-?"
"But then there are the Fusttael," Agzaral continued smoothly. "Their opposition is formidable. They hold no overpowering advantage, but they have the most strength at the moment."
"And what do they want?" Les demanded.
"They want to destroy Earth…"
"Destroy the Earth!"
"More or less."
More or less. He looked at the holograph again. A beautiful planet, filled with humans. Wild humans, not slaves of the millennia-old Confederation. Humans who would soon burst into space, find their way to the stars-who were about to come uninvited into Confederate territory.
More or less meant more. Bomb Earth civilization back to the stone age, and trust there'd be enough humans left for breeding stock. They only needed enough wild genes to temper the corps of Slave soldiers. Enough to improve the breed of Janissaries…
"What does the Navy think of this?" Les demanded. "Or your service?"
"The opinions of Slaves do not matter-"
"Come off it."
"But certainly the Navy has divided opinions," Agzaral said smoothly. "It is likely that some ships would refuse to take part in the necessary operations. But-enough would obey the orders."
"We can't let that happen!"
Agzaral spread his hands. "How do we prevent it? But I agree, it would be regrettable. And there is the third alternative."
Sure, Les thought. Human membership in the Confederation. Forced membership, imposed now while Earth was helpless. A junior membership, with Earth controlled by the High Commission. Peace, unity, and-stagnation. A static society. Stasis for a thousand years. Still, it had to be preferable to bombardment and destruction…
"The balance of the Ader'at'eel would bring Earth into the Confederacy now," Agzaral said. "But enough of this. Your report. Will they be able to grow sunnomaz?"
"Possibly," Les said. "Of course there will be the mutiny. It will be settled by now."
"Yes. With what outcome?"
"Either of the mercenary leaders should be competent with those weapons against that population."
"Ah. So the survey ship will not be wasted."
"I think not. And the soldiers will want resupply. Ammunition, soap, penicillin-"
"You understand their needs," Agzaral said. "I will send you to Earth to procure for them. I recall that you enjoy that work."
"I'll do it, but I want to pilot the ship that goes back to Tran."
"To what purpose?" Agzaral asked.
"Why do you ask? I'm a pilot. I know Tran exists. Not too many pilots do. I'd think you'd want me to."
"It's reasonable," Agzaral said. "You will not be able to take the first ship, however. One leaves immediately. Piloted by Shalnuksis. Tran is not too far off their course, and they want to see for themselves how Tran has revived since their last series of visits."
"Last time they went there, they bombed out half the civilization. What will they do this time?"
"On this journey, nothing-"
"That's not what I meant," Les said.
"I know. But I have no better answer."
Les nodded in submission. "Is their first ship carrying supplies?"
"A few. Whatever we had. The mercenary leader Galloway had made suggestions before they departed, you may recall. We used his list. Some of what they wanted was easily obtained. For the rest-your task, now."
"All right. Provided I get to go back myself."
"Why are you so anxious to go back?"
"Does it matter?"
"It might." Agzaral was silent, obviously waiting for Les to speak, but Les said nothing. "Very well. I took the trouble to look up your ancestry," Agzaral said finally. "Rather a lot of wild human strain." He paused. "They'll never allow the child to live if they learn of it."
"How will they learn?" Les demanded.
"Gently." Agzaral glanced at a timer on his desk. "We do not have much longer to speak freely. Let us not waste these minutes. They will not learn from me. But I must know what you intend." He pointed to the Earth. "You have lived long among wild humans. In some ways you act like them. Many wild humans mate for life. This seems unnatural to me, but I know they do it. Is this your intent?"
Les didn't answer.
"I must know."
"I don't know," Les said. "I've thought of it. Live on Tran, with Gwen and my children. Doesn't that tempt you?"
"Earth would tempt me more. But it is not so attractive that I would forsake what I have. Consider. The girl and the child may both be dead."
"You think that hasn't haunted me ever since I let her go planetside?"
"Yet she seemed competent enough," Agzaral mused. "I expect she has survived. She may, however, have found another mate."
"Yeah. I thought of that, too."
"What will you do in that case?"
"I don't know that, either."
Agzaral nodded in sympathy. "Certainly your interest in Tran would be much abated?"
"Yes. But I have to find out."
Agzaral looked at the hologram for long enough that Les saw movement in Earth's clouds. Then he spoke decisively. "You will have that chance," Agzaral said. "I hope the knowledge pleases you."
PART FOUR
Invaders
19
Autumn had come. Despite his charcoal brazier Apelles felt the chill damp of the stone chamber high in the tower of Castle Armagh. The Firestealer crept toward the True Sun, and now both were in the sky together; the days grew short. Evening came and lamps had to be lit, but still there was work to be done.
Armagh was three hundred stadia east of Castle Dravan, and nowhere near as comfortable; once again Apelles marvelled that Lord Rick would move so much of his household to this godless place. Truly there was no accounting for the ways of the starmen! Even so, Apelles was content, now that he was a consecrated priest of Yatar. The room's present discomforts were small compared to those he'd endured as an acolyte. He was more concerned about his pen, which was made of soft iron and had a blunt point that scratched the paper.